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Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 36!
The position of Hokage in Naruto is often upheld as the true most honorable office in Konoha. One of the five Kages of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, the Hokage has been a title shared by the village's finest and most noble shinobi, as well as Danzo Shimura for a brief spell. But, much like in Danzo's case, some Hokage are not meant to stay in the position, with a major factor in some emergency appointments being various leadership figures such as the elders of the Konoha Council, or even the feudal lord or Fire Daimyo making the call. Following Naruto Uzumaki's capture by Kawaki, leading the public to believe Boruto was the killer, Shikamaru was appointed Hokage.
Shikamaru is, on paper, a phenomenal choice for Hokage in the Naruto universe. He's demonstrably one of the most talented tacticians and leaders of Naruto's generation, and was deliberately chosen as Naruto's right-hand man when he became Lord Seventh. But Shikamaru was given the position of provisional leader, a precarious Eighth Hokage position, constantly shouldering scrutiny from the village elders, particularly Lord Kobu, with his latest joint operation with Boruto against the Divine Trees being the last straw. As of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 36, Kobu is now calling for Shikamaru Nara to be relieved of his position as Hokage.
Naruto's Latest Hokage May Have The Strongest Case For Removal Yet
Truthfully, the writing has been on the wall for Shikamaru for much of 2026. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 30 showed Kobu correctly suspecting Shikamaru was harboring and aiding Boruto. While Kobu lacks key context, namely, that he and the rest of Konoha are still brainwashed into thinking Boruto is an Otsutsuki who killed Naruto, the facts remain that Shikamaru has been aiding a rogue ninja, in secret, often against the wishes and judgment of his trusted confidants including Ino Yamanaka. Realistically, there's a fair case for his removal, and in chapter 36, Kobu sent his request to the Land of Fire's Daimyo to remove Shikamaru's Hokage title.
Provided enough evidence of Shikamaru's crimes exists and can be found, this was a new reveal of just how powerful the Land of Fire's Feudal Lord truly is. Kobu also cites the elders as ones whose approval he'd need to fully carry out Shikamaru's removal from power. One can argue that Shikamaru is largely now operating on borrowed time, especially as he shows no signs of slowing down in his mission to protect Konoha, even at the expense of his position. He even begrudgingly accepted such a fate as predicted by Koji Kashin as one of the many possible outcomes during the Mamushi Arc.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Has Presented Plenty Of Hokage Candidates
Shikamaru's removal as the provisional Eighth Hokage is a troubling reality, as it essentially means replacing a replacement in the process. He's been a capable leader, with the village's safety at the top of his mind at all points, but thankfully, Shikamaru's far from the only capable shinobi of his generation to serve as their leader. As shown in recent chapters, Sakura Haruno has been an immensely grounded and supportive kunoichi, continuing to mentor her daughter and those around her while remaining headstrong and ostensibly herself. Not only that, but her Byakugo or "Strength of a Hundred Seal" has certainly continued to accumulate power all this time; Sakura would be plenty capable of defending her village.
But other capable leaders still exist. It'd be a fine opportunity to bring Kakashi out of the woodwork, for instance, as he had already served previously as the Sixth Hokage. Kakashi always signed on for the role with the assumption that Naruto would eventually succeed him; returning to the role could be a nice precursor to Naruto's return.
But perhaps the most compelling alternative is Konohamaru Sarutobi, who has always had a combination of juvenile entitlement in early years, and determination later on, to eventually take on the role his grandfather once held. He's proven steadfast even under pressure against a deranged Divine Tree, continued to develop powerful new jutsu for the purpose of defending himself and allies, and, more than the previous two candidates, has consistently shown an interest in the role. While the ousting of Shikamaru is becoming an increasingly likely possibility, it'd be a lie to claim his potential successors wouldn't be great to see in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.
